The present invention relates to cooling systems generally, and more specifically to heat pipe systems.
Flywheel systems are used for energy storage in backup power supplies (e.g., for telecommunication systems, server farms, etc.). Energy is stored in the angular momentum of the flywheel. The flywheel systems are typically stored inside silo canisters, and these canisters can be located above or below ground. Typical prior-art flywheel systems dissipated a sufficiently small amount of waste heat that the canister could be cooled by passive conduction from the canister to the exterior.
Newer flywheel systems dissipate too much power in the form of heat to cool the flywheels by conduction alone.
The present invention is a cooling system 100 that brings heat from inside a flywheel 140 to the exterior where it is dissipated by one or more means. The cooling system 100 comprises one or more heat pipes that transfer the heat to the exterior of the flywheel and those heat pipes dissipated the heat to various heat sinks.
Another aspect of the invention is a system comprising: a first heat pipe having an evaporator and a condenser. The first heat pipe is mounted with the evaporator inside the canister and the condenser outside the canister. A second heat pipe has an evaporator thermally coupled to the condenser of the first heat pipe. The second heat pipe has a condenser. Means are provided for dissipating heat from the condenser of the second heat pipe.
Another aspect of the invention is a system comprising: a flywheel stored within a canister; and a heat pipe having an evaporator and a condenser. The heat pipe is mounted with the evaporator inside the canister and the condenser abutting a wall of the canister.
According to another aspect of the invention, a system is provided for cooling a canister, the system comprising first, second and third heat pipes. The first heat pipe has an evaporator and a condenser. The first heat pipe is mounted with its evaporator inside the canister and its condenser outside the canister. The second heat pipe has an evaporator thermally coupled to the condenser of the first heat pipe. The second heat pipe has a condenser. The third heat pipe has an evaporator thermally coupled to the condenser of the second heat pipe. The third heat pipe has a condenser with a heat dissipation mechanism thereon.